Around 1806, emigration of Norwegians <strong>to</strong> North America rose considerably.Amongst the emigrants were several good <strong>fiddle</strong>rs who continued with theirmusic after they had settled in their new country. In addition, severalperformers came on concert <strong>to</strong>urs and travelled throughout the whole of theAmerican continent. In 1912, the first kappleik was arranged in W<strong>is</strong>consin and,in 1914, interest was so great <strong>that</strong> an association of Hardanger <strong>fiddle</strong> players wasformed. At its height, there were around 100 pract<strong>is</strong>ing members, and kappleikscould attract 8000 people. But, recruitment was lacking. <strong>The</strong> family <strong>fiddle</strong> wasplaced in its case in the loft, or hung on the wall as a decoration. Around 1970,the <strong>to</strong>tal number of <strong>fiddle</strong>rs in the USA sank <strong>to</strong> around 20, and two thirds of themwere over 70 years old.Since the early 1980s, there has been a huge resurgence in interest in playing theHardanger <strong>fiddle</strong> in North America, both amongst Norwegian-Americans andthose from other cultural backgrounds. <strong>The</strong> Hardanger Fiddle Association ofAmerica was formed in 1983 by Americans with roots in Valdres. <strong>The</strong>y hadgrown up in the USA with dance and playing as a vital part of their everyday life.Today, the interest for th<strong>is</strong> Norwegian tradition <strong>is</strong> r<strong>is</strong>ing, courses are arrangedand festivals organ<strong>is</strong>ed, and the Association has hundreds of membersthroughout many countries.<strong>The</strong> first kappleik (<strong>fiddle</strong> and dance competition) in North America <strong>to</strong>ok place in 1912 in S<strong>to</strong>ugh<strong>to</strong>n,W<strong>is</strong>consin. <strong>The</strong>re was so much interest <strong>that</strong> in 1914, the original Hardanger Violin<strong>is</strong>t Forbundet afAmerika (<strong>The</strong> Hardanger Violin<strong>is</strong>t Association of America) was formed. <strong>It</strong> had a membership ofnearly one hundred at its peak, and it sponsored regular fiddling competitions throughout the earlyyears of the twentieth century. Some kappleikar reportedly drew over 8,000 attendees!
Folk music and dance as national symbolsFolk music <strong>is</strong> originally the music of the people from the rural areas. Th<strong>is</strong> musichas, <strong>to</strong>gether with bygdedans, been strongly connected with life in the ruralareas. <strong>The</strong> Hardanger <strong>fiddle</strong> <strong>is</strong> traditionally played only in limited areas in<strong>Norway</strong> but, nonetheless, it <strong>is</strong> seen in many quarters as something of a nationalinstrument.At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Lillehammer in 1994, joikers,players of both types of <strong>fiddle</strong>s, and dancers wearing the national costume wereimportant elements. Norwegians wanted <strong>to</strong> present themselves <strong>to</strong> the world viasomething d<strong>is</strong>tinctively Norwegian and tell about their old roots and <strong>traditions</strong>.Whether the ‘Olympic-Games-effect’ has been important for folk music and folkdance remains <strong>to</strong> be seen, but it <strong>is</strong> now thought <strong>that</strong> most Norwegians have amore open mind <strong>to</strong>wards music and dance, national costume and old Norwegiancus<strong>to</strong>ms than they had in the middle of the 1900s.Famous figures from the pastIndividual performers of music and dance have acquired a legendary status. Oneof the best-known Hardanger <strong>fiddle</strong> players from Telemark was TorgeirAugundson, better known as Myllarguten. He lived from 1801 <strong>to</strong> 1872.Myllarguten <strong>is</strong> the source for many of the teleslåttene (tunes from Telemark)which are played nowadays, and which are usually called myllarslåtter. He wasknown for fleshing out simpler tunes he had learnt from older <strong>fiddle</strong>rs, andmaking them richer and more elaborate. In 1831 in Bergen, he met the <strong>violin</strong><strong>is</strong>t,Ole Bull, who was particularly keen on Myllarguten’s tune playing. <strong>The</strong>friendship between the two brought Myllarguten and the Telemark tunes(telemarkslåttene) <strong>to</strong> the big <strong>to</strong>wns and the concert halls. On the 11 th of January1849, Myllarguten held a legendary concert in Chr<strong>is</strong>tiania <strong>to</strong>gether with “OlaBøll”, as he called him. Th<strong>is</strong> was the start of a long chain of concert <strong>to</strong>ursthroughout large swathes of the country.<strong>The</strong>re are s<strong>to</strong>ries connected <strong>to</strong> several of the tunes ‘after’ Myllaren:Once, he was on a journey and met someone who wanted him <strong>to</strong> come and play andoffered him five dollars for it. But, he was not on form, he said, and didn’t reallywant <strong>to</strong> pick up the <strong>fiddle</strong>. He was offered ten, but it didn’t help. When twentydollars were put on the table, he picked up the <strong>fiddle</strong>, played one tune and lay the<strong>fiddle</strong> back in its case again. That was enough, he thought. Th<strong>is</strong> tune came <strong>to</strong> beknown as “Tjugedalaren” (“Twenty dollars”).Kari was the name of a girl Myllarguten was engaged <strong>to</strong>, but who left him and soonafter married another. Th<strong>is</strong> hurt him very badly. He wrote a tune and, when thebridal procession rode <strong>to</strong> the church, he sat behind a s<strong>to</strong>ne at the side of the roadand played the tune as they drove past. Myllarguten cried while he played. <strong>It</strong> <strong>is</strong> asif you can hear the tune calling, “Kari, Kari!”. <strong>It</strong> <strong>is</strong> called “Myllargutens bruremarsj”(Myllarguten’s Bridal March).
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